The Grief of Stones
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- Create Date：2022-06-17 07:51:49
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Katherine Addison
- ISBN：1786187442
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Summary
In The Grief of Stones， Katherine Addison returns to the world of The Goblin Emperor with a direct sequel to The Witness For The Dead。。。
Celehar’s life as the Witness for the Dead of Amalo grows less isolated as his circle of friends grows larger。 He has been given an apprentice to teach， and he has stumbled over a scandal of the city—the foundling girls。 Orphans with no family to claim them and no funds to buy an apprenticeship。 Foundling boys go to the Prelacies; foundling girls are sold into service， or worse。
At once touching and shattering， Celehar’s witnessing for one of these girls will lead him into the depths of his own losses。 The love of his friends will lead him out again。
Celehar’s life as the Witness for the Dead of Amalo grows less isolated as his circle of friends grows larger。 He has been given an apprentice to teach， and he has stumbled over a scandal of the city—the foundling girls。 Orphans with no family to claim them and no funds to buy an apprenticeship。 Foundling boys go to the Prelacies; foundling girls are sold into service， or worse。
At once touching and shattering， Celehar’s witnessing for one of these girls will lead him into the depths of his own losses。 The love of his friends will lead him out again。
Reviews
Dana
，
2。5 out of 5First， a warning: this is not a stand-alone。 It is the sequel to "Witness for the Dead" and the events in "The Grief of Stones" take place shortly after where they were left off at the end of "Witness for the Dead。" Many of the characters were introduced in the first novel and are not re-introduced when they appear in "The Grief of Stones。" As such， a reader will likely feel afloat in a sea of nonsense without reading "Witness for the Dead" prior to reading this。While Katherine Addis 2。5 out of 5First， a warning: this is not a stand-alone。 It is the sequel to "Witness for the Dead" and the events in "The Grief of Stones" take place shortly after where they were left off at the end of "Witness for the Dead。" Many of the characters were introduced in the first novel and are not re-introduced when they appear in "The Grief of Stones。" As such， a reader will likely feel afloat in a sea of nonsense without reading "Witness for the Dead" prior to reading this。While Katherine Addison's world building skills and character development were on display in "The Grief of Stones" I found myself not invested in the main character， Thera Celehar， or any of the plot enough to enjoy this book。 For a short novel （only 251 pages） this just dragged。 There was a mystery and intrigue but it all felt very superficial。 And as in "Witness for the Dead" the ending of "The Grief of Stones" was so abrupt， I felt as if I had walked into a wall that I failed to see。 。。。more
Stacia
，
Another wonderful taleThara Celehar's story continues in The Grief of Stones （and yes， the title does make sense， but not until the very end of the novel）。 Celehar's investigations of the dead lead him into a very dangerous place， the Hill of Werewolves， where he is tested to his limit。 Another wonderful taleThara Celehar's story continues in The Grief of Stones （and yes， the title does make sense， but not until the very end of the novel）。 Celehar's investigations of the dead lead him into a very dangerous place， the Hill of Werewolves， where he is tested to his limit。 。。。more
Jennifer
，
Celehar is this universe's personification of "if you keep your expectations low， you can't be disappointed"。 I love him。 It was nice to visit with him in his world again and see how he's getting on with his least favorite people: the living。 Pleased to see he has developed more good friends （among the living） who are looking out for him even when he isn't looking out for himself。 Who know he deserves affection and good things， even if he doesn't know it。 The weight of his continuing， unresolved Celehar is this universe's personification of "if you keep your expectations low， you can't be disappointed"。 I love him。 It was nice to visit with him in his world again and see how he's getting on with his least favorite people: the living。 Pleased to see he has developed more good friends （among the living） who are looking out for him even when he isn't looking out for himself。 Who know he deserves affection and good things， even if he doesn't know it。 The weight of his continuing， unresolved grief is deftly explored， though I ended the book hungry for more character moments and relationship advancements and less 。。。 everything else。 The mysteries were lackluster， just OK， telegraphed， predictable， and the spaces in between that I hoped to be filled up with more emotional beats to drive Celehar's own character development forward were empty and hollow （hence the 4 star instead of 5 star rating）。 The internal character moments I loved most in The Goblin Emperor were about Maia coming into himself and into his own， but Celehar is just stuck， and I felt stuck right alongside him。 I get that when you're writing from the POV of a repressed， in denial， service driven character like Celehar it limits what you can do。 But I do wish he was at least spending a bit more time on himself and less on everyone else。Even so。 How am I supposed to wait another eternity for a subsequent book to appear that will wrap up everything left undone at the end of this one？ It will be unbearable。 I hope the next book has more of what this one lacked。 。。。more
James Farner
，
As good as WITNESS FOR THE DEAD。 I really hope there will be more melancholy， fantasy cozy-mysteries with these characters and setting。
Walt Boyes
，
Stones Grieve Katherine Addison has done it again with The Grief of Stones。 Her character， Celehar， the Witness for the Dead is back in his third venture。 He first appeared in The Goblin Emperor， and then in the first of the Cemeteries of Amalo， and now in The Grief of Stones。 She weaves the story deftly， and it is a well-developed world， with the potential for more stories。 Well Done！
Nora
，
I genuinely think I might just be Katherine Addison’s target audience。 This was by far my least favorite of the Goblin Emperor universe books， yet I still really enjoyed this story。 Celehar remains a compelling and deeply human （or I guess elf） character and his interactions with others were all incredibly earnest。 The Grief of Stones also addressed a tremendously difficult topic in what I found to be respectful and direct。 I also will forever admire Addison for the way she consistently manages I genuinely think I might just be Katherine Addison’s target audience。 This was by far my least favorite of the Goblin Emperor universe books， yet I still really enjoyed this story。 Celehar remains a compelling and deeply human （or I guess elf） character and his interactions with others were all incredibly earnest。 The Grief of Stones also addressed a tremendously difficult topic in what I found to be respectful and direct。 I also will forever admire Addison for the way she consistently manages to take all the loose ends of the story and weave them together to form an intricate and complete plot。 I’m thinking well get ~at least~ one more installment， so until then， I will be yelling about these books from every rooftop I can find。 。。。more
Geneva Rowader
，
I can't get enough of this character。 More forever please I can't get enough of this character。 More forever please 。。。more
Minna
，
I meant to post this review yesterday and time got away from me - Oops！Thank you to NetGalley， Tor Books and the author for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title。 An honest review was requested but not required。This was very enjoyable。 It's rare nowadays （in my opinion） to find such excellent straight-up high fantasy。 I have no problems with sci-fi/fantasy， or fantasy romance， etc， in the least。 But really good pure high fantasy is getting harder and harder to find。 Fantasy mystery is an I meant to post this review yesterday and time got away from me - Oops！Thank you to NetGalley， Tor Books and the author for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title。 An honest review was requested but not required。This was very enjoyable。 It's rare nowadays （in my opinion） to find such excellent straight-up high fantasy。 I have no problems with sci-fi/fantasy， or fantasy romance， etc， in the least。 But really good pure high fantasy is getting harder and harder to find。 Fantasy mystery is an even rarer beast and I really liked it in this book。 I will admit that I keep wishing for Maya to make an appearance， but Thara Celehar is an engaging main character you can't help liking。 A little threadbare， a little run down， but persistent， smart， empathetic， and devoted， Othala Celehar is a person you want on your side。 The addition of his "apprentice"， Othalo Tomasin， I think really went a long way into warming him up。 On his own， Celehar has a tendency towards shyness and solitariness that makes him come across as a little cool and aloof， although this is undeserved and untrue。 I actually enjoyed the little side mysteries almost more than the major one （troubling events - don't want to spoil - going on at a foundling girls' school）。 It's commendable that the worldbuilding is so formal and elaborate but that even after a long break between books， I could sink back into it so easily and so completely。 It took me a minute to refamiliarize myself with the titles and structure but not long。 I hope that Othalo Celehar comes back for many more adventures。 There were quite a few side characters here I'd like to explore more， and I hope they come back too: Mer Pel-Thenhior obviously， and several of the opera staff and performers。 A short story from Tomasin's point of view would be great。 And obviously， OBVIOUSLY， a cameo from Maya would be awesome。 Looking forward to more in this series！ 。。。more
Sonia
，
I continue to be absolutely in love with this series。 Thara is SUCH a compelling character！ A lot of what he does in the course of investigating is menial stuff like asking for directions， and I'll still be glued to the page as effectively as if he were fighting for his life。 The pacing is just so good—and it helps that I can't tell myself， "I'll stop at the end of the next chapter" because there are no chapters。 That's how I finished the book in one day。。。I could read forever about his adventur I continue to be absolutely in love with this series。 Thara is SUCH a compelling character！ A lot of what he does in the course of investigating is menial stuff like asking for directions， and I'll still be glued to the page as effectively as if he were fighting for his life。 The pacing is just so good—and it helps that I can't tell myself， "I'll stop at the end of the next chapter" because there are no chapters。 That's how I finished the book in one day。。。I could read forever about his adventures in small town politics and his bewilderment that his friends worry about him when he's not doing well。 I'll definitely re-read this like I have the others， and I'm very excited for whatever is next！ 。。。more
E
，
I love was Addison does with Celehar。 A genuinely morose lead character can be a hard sell， but Addison sells in completely with our honourable， dedicated， damaged Witness for the Dead。 As with the previous book， the mystery plot does well to string the excellent character moments and worldbuilding together， and I like how some of the mysteries are， in fact， reasonably easily solved。 Great to see Celehar slowly and almost against his will open himself up to friendship and a life beyond his calli I love was Addison does with Celehar。 A genuinely morose lead character can be a hard sell， but Addison sells in completely with our honourable， dedicated， damaged Witness for the Dead。 As with the previous book， the mystery plot does well to string the excellent character moments and worldbuilding together， and I like how some of the mysteries are， in fact， reasonably easily solved。 Great to see Celehar slowly and almost against his will open himself up to friendship and a life beyond his calling， and there are further threads to be explored on that front in the next book in the series， the premise for which is telegraphed pretty openly by the book's ending。 Can't wait。 。。。more
Slmstanley
，
More stories in the world of The Goblin EmperorAnother beautiful novel featuring Thara Celehar， the Witness for the Dead。 Called to witness for a woman whose husband believes her to have been murdered， Thara uncovers more than one murder， and a dangerous conspiracy which threatens many。Once again， a novel where good triumphs， people are steadfast in the face of evil， and where our heroes work through their grief and uncertainty together。
Toshiro
，
this was a really fantastic read and something i'll be rereading along with Addison's other books。 the undramatic， persistent approach to crime solving is refreshing， as is the unceasing compassion of our witness for the dead。 i also love all of the titles， formal and informal pronouns， and general complexities of station and social status。i very much hope to see a third book in the series。 i'm sensing a thawing of the tragic gay narrative that underwrites the stories in this universe and i'd lo this was a really fantastic read and something i'll be rereading along with Addison's other books。 the undramatic， persistent approach to crime solving is refreshing， as is the unceasing compassion of our witness for the dead。 i also love all of the titles， formal and informal pronouns， and general complexities of station and social status。i very much hope to see a third book in the series。 i'm sensing a thawing of the tragic gay narrative that underwrites the stories in this universe and i'd love to see some resolution and joy in a follow up。 i'm both frustrated and compelled by the existing queer oppression Thara is enmeshed in- as long as this book is not the end of the story i think i will still lean towards compelled 。。。more
Cora
，
another winner from Katherine AddisonI am not given to using 5 stars in reviews， but this book definitely merits them。 This is the third book in the series beginning with the Goblin Emperor， and the direct sequel to Witness for the Dead。 The characters are well written: they have depth of feeling and thought， and despite the fantasy milieu， they are people with whom we can sympathize， or at least comprehend their motives。 Thara Celahar’s anguish about the difficult decisions his sense of justice another winner from Katherine AddisonI am not given to using 5 stars in reviews， but this book definitely merits them。 This is the third book in the series beginning with the Goblin Emperor， and the direct sequel to Witness for the Dead。 The characters are well written: they have depth of feeling and thought， and despite the fantasy milieu， they are people with whom we can sympathize， or at least comprehend their motives。 Thara Celahar’s anguish about the difficult decisions his sense of justice lead him to are vividly described， and make him an incredibly sympathetic character。 And as a detective novel， it really moves right along， keeping you breathlessly wanting to know more。 I really hope there will be more books in this series。 。。。more
Joy
，
I take any opportunity I can to spend time in this universe I love！
Jessica Hoyer
，
aaaaaaa every one of these books is so goooood。 please let there be another one 🥲🥲
Brittany
，
I loved this so much！ A great follow-up to "The Witness for the Dead"， and another great entry in this story universe！ I actually liked it even more than Witness， though I love both of them。The new cast is wonderful， and I love （view spoiler）[how much the people around Thara care for him， and I particularly love to see more development in his relationship with Iana。 All the Anora scenes were excellent （hide spoiler）]。 The plot was well-paced and I was glued to the page， wanting to know what happ I loved this so much！ A great follow-up to "The Witness for the Dead"， and another great entry in this story universe！ I actually liked it even more than Witness， though I love both of them。The new cast is wonderful， and I love （view spoiler）[how much the people around Thara care for him， and I particularly love to see more development in his relationship with Iana。 All the Anora scenes were excellent （hide spoiler）]。 The plot was well-paced and I was glued to the page， wanting to know what happened next。 （view spoiler）[I loved all the little mysteries interspersed with the bigger one。 They were lovely。 Thara's knowledge and thoughtfulness is wonderful to read。 （hide spoiler）]Overall a truly wonderful detective fiction story， and another great entry in this universe。 And now while I wait for the next volume， I'll probably go reread "The Goblin Emperor" for the 8th time。 。。。more
The Captain
，
Ahoy there me mateys！ I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 While I try to post no spoilers， this be a direct sequel to the witness for the dead so proceed at yer own peril 。 。 。As soon as I heard there was another book featuring Celehar， I knew I had to read it。 And I was not disappointed。 I love him。 This book continues the day-to-day life of Celehar and that continues to be the highlight for me。 There is also the addition of Othala Tomasarin， a Wi Ahoy there me mateys！ I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 While I try to post no spoilers， this be a direct sequel to the witness for the dead so proceed at yer own peril 。 。 。As soon as I heard there was another book featuring Celehar， I knew I had to read it。 And I was not disappointed。 I love him。 This book continues the day-to-day life of Celehar and that continues to be the highlight for me。 There is also the addition of Othala Tomasarin， a Witness in training， and their solving more crimes as well as helping the common folk。 Celehar is still dealing with the trauma of his past and learning to open up to friendships。 It is truly hard to express the complexity of these books and yet how easy and compelling they are to read。 The novels are character driven but I am still in awe of how the world building is wrapped into the story。 The more I learn about the politics and nuances of the city， the more I want。 I appears that there will be another book about Celehar given the way the book ended。 At least I hope so！ I need to know where Celehar is going to go from here。This book should not be read as a standalone。 I believe both prior books are necessary to read before this one。 That said， if ye loved those then this one is likely to float yer boat too。 Arrr！ 。。。more
Marsha Valance
，
When， after solving 2 murders & facing down a supernatural monster， Witness for the Dead Thara Celeher loses his ability to communicate with the deceased， he must decide how he can continue to be of service。
Jess | dapper。reads
，
I’m willing to bet that I’d have enjoyed this more had I realized it was book 2 in a series before I started it。 The cover sold me and I requested it from NetGalley and was approved。 The story was great， but I do feel like I missed out on something - I don’t know what seeing as I didn’t read book one。 Maybe it’s world building， maybe it’s something else but the beginning of this book was rough for me。 Once it got going and I started figuring things out it was great！ Such an interesting book with I’m willing to bet that I’d have enjoyed this more had I realized it was book 2 in a series before I started it。 The cover sold me and I requested it from NetGalley and was approved。 The story was great， but I do feel like I missed out on something - I don’t know what seeing as I didn’t read book one。 Maybe it’s world building， maybe it’s something else but the beginning of this book was rough for me。 Once it got going and I started figuring things out it was great！ Such an interesting book with several little mysteries going at once that build up to a big mystery that needs solved in this fantasy word。 I can’t say I’ve read a book that unfolded quite this way before and it was definitely enjoyable。 If you like fantasy and mystery books - I’d definitely recommend giving this a try， but I also recommend reading book one first！3。5⭐️ 。。。more
Sherry
，
The Goblin Emperor is one of my favorite fantasy novels， a go-to comfort read for me。 I haven’t yet fallen in love with Celehar as I did with Maia， but I’m liking him more with every book。This novel begins with Celehar being asked to act as a Witness for the Dead for a woman who may have been murdered。 Although he resolves the question of her death relatively quickly， Celehar’s investigation connects him to another mystery centered on a school for foundling girls。 That inquiry takes a dangerous The Goblin Emperor is one of my favorite fantasy novels， a go-to comfort read for me。 I haven’t yet fallen in love with Celehar as I did with Maia， but I’m liking him more with every book。This novel begins with Celehar being asked to act as a Witness for the Dead for a woman who may have been murdered。 Although he resolves the question of her death relatively quickly， Celehar’s investigation connects him to another mystery centered on a school for foundling girls。 That inquiry takes a dangerous turn when it leads Celehar back to the haunted Hill of Werewolves for a terrifying encounter with the supernatural。 As in The Goblin Emperor， the worldbuilding is phenomenal， with a level of detail that makes Celehar’s world feel so lived-in and three-dimensional that it might almost be real。 For example， not only does Addison describe the places Celehar visits in the course of his duties， but she also takes the time to mention the tram lines that he takes to get to them！ Then there are the specifics of social customs and language she works into the story， such as switching to “thee” and “thou” as a form of address when talking to someone you are close to， which indicates whether that person sees Celehar as a friend。 For me， all those details made for a truly immersive reading experience。 That focus on worldbuilding slows down the pace of the narrative， which is made even more leisurely by the detailed descriptions of Celehar’s daily activities。 It’s not just that Addison includes other requests for his help in addition to the main mystery， like finding a hidden recipe for scones。 Rather， it seems as if almost every step Celehar takes is outlined in the story。 Readers who like lots of action are likely to find it tedious， I think。 For me， though， all those mundane details increased the book’s realism by allowing me to experience Celehar's life right along with him。Because of that intense focus， a big part of the success of this book for a particular reader hinges on how much they like Celehar as a character。 I found it very easy to empathize with Celehar。 He is a good man who takes his work as a Witness seriously， especially when it comes to finding justice for the dead。 Still weighed down by grief and guilt over the events surrounding the death of his lover， Celehar really doesn't see his own worth and feels very much alone。 A number of the people he has met as a Witness do value him， however， and over the course of the story Celehar learns that he has more friends than he realized。 （And maybe more than just a friend， if a hinted-at potential romance plays out。） Frustratingly， the novel ends in a bit of a cliffhanger， with Celehar facing a crisis in his career and only the vaguest allusion to what might lie in store for him。 The good news for fans is that means another novel will be coming in the series。 I can’t wait to find out what happens next！ A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own。 。。。more
PlotTrysts
，
This is a slow-moving， contemplative book that still managed to keep our attention。 Written entirely in first person from the perspective of a "Witness for the Dead" - a cleric who can speak to the recently-deceased， and whose calling leads him to investigate their causes of death - the book is nearly a diary。 It follows Celehar from day to day as he goes about his investigations， speaks with his friends， mentors a new apprentice， and deals with his own enduring grief。Although there is an overar This is a slow-moving， contemplative book that still managed to keep our attention。 Written entirely in first person from the perspective of a "Witness for the Dead" - a cleric who can speak to the recently-deceased， and whose calling leads him to investigate their causes of death - the book is nearly a diary。 It follows Celehar from day to day as he goes about his investigations， speaks with his friends， mentors a new apprentice， and deals with his own enduring grief。Although there is an overarching narrative thread of the mystery （or mysteries） to be solved， the appeal of the book is in how engrossing and all-encompassing the world building is。 Without much narrative tension to pull you in， you don't want to leave。 It also helps that our viewpoint character is a wonderfully complex， ultimately decent person， whose compassion shines through in all of his actions。This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel。 。。。more
Dione Basseri
，
I was OVER THE MOON to get an ARC of this to review。 I devoured "The Goblin Emperor" years ago， and had somehow sat on book 2 since it's release， only held back by my cripplingly large TBR。 But getting an ARC got me in gear， and I listened to "Witness for the Dead" AND "The Grief of Stones" over a 3-day period。 And such a wonderful 3 days it was！This second Celehar-centric book focuses a bit more on the fantasy and politics of the world。 We begin by learning about the more mortal， physical evils I was OVER THE MOON to get an ARC of this to review。 I devoured "The Goblin Emperor" years ago， and had somehow sat on book 2 since it's release， only held back by my cripplingly large TBR。 But getting an ARC got me in gear， and I listened to "Witness for the Dead" AND "The Grief of Stones" over a 3-day period。 And such a wonderful 3 days it was！This second Celehar-centric book focuses a bit more on the fantasy and politics of the world。 We begin by learning about the more mortal， physical evils of Amalo。 Orphaned children， blackmail， murder， and crimes more heinous。 And the real-world thrusts Celehar into fantasy peril， and in these books， that means the dead。 This book has the most perilous fight of the whole series， and that's saying something， when the first book is all about the emperor and people trying to assassinate him！I was delighted to see a bit of Celehar dancing around romance with his opera-director friend。 Addison has me hooked on this relationship。 They're so tentative， but there's this comfort and obvious longing for fulfillment that has me already wanting the next book。Really， the whole thing has me wanting the next book。 For a mystery series， it's not so much a spoiler to say that we're set up for a new book of crime and justice， but Addison gave a really compelling ending。 One that promises a lot more fantasy （and gay pining） in Amalo book 3。I need it NOW。 。。。more
Courtney
，
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review。 I had mixed feelings about this book’s predecessor， but I was eager to try again， as I love the world this series is set in。 And while I wasn’t wowed by The Grief of Stones， the strengths from the prior book continued in the same vein。 I had mixed feelings about Celehar after the prior book， but I think having read two books now with him as lead has warmed him to me。 He has a gentle way about him that I reall I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review。 I had mixed feelings about this book’s predecessor， but I was eager to try again， as I love the world this series is set in。 And while I wasn’t wowed by The Grief of Stones， the strengths from the prior book continued in the same vein。 I had mixed feelings about Celehar after the prior book， but I think having read two books now with him as lead has warmed him to me。 He has a gentle way about him that I really like， and there’s these lovely little moments in the midst of all the darkness， like feeding stray cats！ I love a hero who is generally noble， in spite of the grim events he’s exposed to。 The mystery is also pretty compelling， and it hits close to home in spite of the fantastical setting。 Celehar finds himself working to protect and defend foundling orphans from exploitation。 I appreciated how the subject was ultimately handled with care， and how in spite of the dark subject matter， the book provides a balm of comfort for anyone who may have been impacted in any way by the issue。 This is a wonderful second Celehar adventure and a great addition to the overall Goblin Emperor world。 If you enjoyed the prior book （or even if you just felt middling about it）， you might be interested in this one。 。。。more
Winter
，
The Grief of Stones is the sequel to “Witness for the Dead”Once again， we continue with the ever-loved Cleric-Mystery solver， Thara Celehar。 Thara Celehar is the witness to the dead， he can speak， see， and know what happened to the dead of Alamo city。Just when Celehar is finally settling into some sort of normalcy， （meaning） starting to make friends。His entire life is upended by a 3 mos。 old murder case that winds up sending him to the Foundling School for Girls。 （Orphanage）Whilst there， a girl The Grief of Stones is the sequel to “Witness for the Dead”Once again， we continue with the ever-loved Cleric-Mystery solver， Thara Celehar。 Thara Celehar is the witness to the dead， he can speak， see， and know what happened to the dead of Alamo city。Just when Celehar is finally settling into some sort of normalcy， （meaning） starting to make friends。His entire life is upended by a 3 mos。 old murder case that winds up sending him to the Foundling School for Girls。 （Orphanage）Whilst there， a girl passes him a note while no one else is looking （or so it was thought） begging for help。However， that same girl who passed him the note is later found， murdered。 What Celehar cannot figure out is why his gift cannot find out who killed her。At the same time unexpectedly， Celehar is sent an apprentice。 A widower who also can communicate with the dead， who developed the gift later in life。 Celehar is not certain as per why he sent Tomasarin since she has had no formal training as a priest， nor training with communicating with the dead。 This part of the book proves to be quite humorous as Celehar takes on his apprentice in his grumpy， yet peculiar little ways， to mentor her。 He tries desperately to explain the aspects of “serving a witness for the dead” and tries to be a good mentor。Addison once again brings her amazing word building to this book as she mixes it with History， the Supernatural and Religion。All of these mixed together explain Celehars relationship with the world around him and his want to help the people who can no longer speak for themselves。 Addison makes you think of Celehar as a cross between Monk with his Strict ways about him and his formality， then maybe a Hercule Peirot， because he is determined to solve the case no matter if it hurts him further。This book was extremely sad because of the exploitation of the girls at the orphanage; however， nothing could prepare for Celehars fate。 Addison does give an open-ended ending and a hope for Celehar。So， the only question left is When’s BOOK 3？Kudos Addison！！Thank you NetGalley and Katherine Addison for this ARC， which I recieved for free for my honest review。 。。。more
Eitan
，
I received an ARC of this book from Tor in exchange for an honest review。Having enjoyed both The Goblin Emperor and The Witness for the Dead， I was pleasantly surprised to find out that a direct sequel to the latter was arriving with minimal fanfare over the summer， and even more delighted to snag an advance copy a week ahead of release。 Witness was a beautifully-crafted slice-of-life mystery， rich with Thara Celehar's voice and personality and packed with small digressions that always revealed I received an ARC of this book from Tor in exchange for an honest review。Having enjoyed both The Goblin Emperor and The Witness for the Dead， I was pleasantly surprised to find out that a direct sequel to the latter was arriving with minimal fanfare over the summer， and even more delighted to snag an advance copy a week ahead of release。 Witness was a beautifully-crafted slice-of-life mystery， rich with Thara Celehar's voice and personality and packed with small digressions that always revealed its characters' inner lives even when they did not advance the "main" plot。 The Grief of Stones delivers more of those same joys and sets up a presumed third novel to complete the post-Goblin Emperor trilogy。 After seeing Celehar struggle and suffer and ultimately open up and form friendships with a few residents of Amalo， I was pleased to see most of that cast return， especially the prelate Anora， the opera composer Iana Pel-Thenhior， and the members of the postal service and Mapmaker's Guild。 As someone with a strong place-memory and fondness for walking through winding side-streets， the latter two and their emphasis on careful directions and details of the tangled geography of Amalo are always engaging to read and lend insight to Celehar's thought process as he goes about （or deviates from） his daily routine。 The evolution of Celehar's relationship with Pel-Thenhior was expected （perhaps， despite Celehar's reluctance to confide in others and their differing occupations and personalities， I even expected it to move faster than it did） but still beautifully handled， and the shift in language from formal to informal as they came to know each other better was a well-chosen detail。 In general， while the consonant-heavy character names can sometimes be tricky to keep straight， I appreciate the linguistic details Addison has included--the prefixes and suffixes that attach place names to certain offices or different ranks to the prelates， the prefix "rev-" for rites and creatures related to death， the consistency of the ending-in-i plurals， and more。 These elements of structure fit well with Celehar's meticulousness and use of formality as a defense and coping mechanism， and also give the world a rich texture。 Celehar spends much of Witness being stepped on by various local politicians and， out of a sense of duty， refusing to speak up for himself or shy away from the increasingly onerous burdens he is made to face。 in Grief， he is pushed to a breaking point emotionally and spiritually， not only by the circumstances of the murder he is investigating but also by the growing realization that he has found a place and people worth standing up for。 Watching Celehar struggle to place his own needs above his religious compulsion to sacrifice everything for those he is Witness to is tragic， but tempered with more hope and optimism here than in the first book of this growing series。 I look forward to seeing what he makes of his new circumstances， his new apprentice Velhiro Tomasaran， and his growing willingness to make room for himself in his own life。Four and a half out of five stars。 Like a second steeping of a fine cup of tea， The Grief of Stones brings back the same flavors and themes as The Witness for the Dead， but with subtle differences and an air of progress。 。。。more
Lynn Williams
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https://lynns-books。com/2022/06/07/th。。。My Five Word TL:DR Review: I loved returning to AmaloAddison， once again， returns us to the City of Amalo where we follow in Thara Celehar’s footsteps as he provides his unusual services to those who have died and the bereaved who request his services。 Celehar is Witness for the Dead。 A strange occupation indeed and one that involves a complexity of cases。I’m loving these stories with Celehar。Firstly， Addison has imagined a very easy to like central charac https://lynns-books。com/2022/06/07/th。。。My Five Word TL:DR Review: I loved returning to AmaloAddison， once again， returns us to the City of Amalo where we follow in Thara Celehar’s footsteps as he provides his unusual services to those who have died and the bereaved who request his services。 Celehar is Witness for the Dead。 A strange occupation indeed and one that involves a complexity of cases。I’m loving these stories with Celehar。Firstly， Addison has imagined a very easy to like central character in Celehar and a character that I could happily follow along in to whatever predicament he finds himself in。 He’s such an easy character to get on with。 Straightforward， honest （brutally so sometimes）， respectful， determined to undertake his duty even in the face of danger， kind and thorough。 I could go on at some length about this character because I’m loving reading about his adventures。Secondly， Addison once again pays attention to the everyday little details in Celehar’s regular routines that just help to form a clear picture of the place itself。 And clearly this is a place that the author feels comfortable in。 There are all sorts of naming conventions， formalities， protocols， etc， but rather than explaining these in any sort of depth you instead get a feel for them by reading the story and everything just slotting into place with relative ease。Thirdly， I love the kind of gentle feel to these stories – which to be fair belies some of the brutal or shocking cases that Celehar actually undertakes。 The central case here， for example， is actually quite unpleasant， but at the same time the way Celehar deals with the situation is so respectful and helpful， and indeed intelligent that he brings a quiet sensitivity to the story。 It reminds me almost of reading， say， an Agatha Christie novel， Celehar shares the tenacity and powers of deduction of Miss Marple or Poirot for example。 And， although there tends to be a central investigation there are a series of almost comic threads that help to lighten the overall feel – like the search for a famous scone recipe。 I could seriously see myself reading more from Celehar and I hope his journey continues although I will say that there is a very surprising development in this story that knocked both Celehar and me for six – so I need the next instalment in the Cemeteries of Amalo series yesterday。 No pressure at all。Fourthly， I love it when the title of a book comes to make sense during the read and that is definitely the case here。Once again the world building is done really well。 We have Celehar visiting haunted temples， tea shops， the opera （where a sweet and slow build romance seems to be developing）， schools for foundlings and even a maze。And， the extra bonus is a new character who becomes an apprentice to Celehar。 I love this development， apprenticeships and mentoring relationships are one of my favourite things to read about and so I hope for more。I don’t think I can add anything further。 This is well written， very easy to engage with， has a delightful main character， a central mystery with lots of other shenanigans， set in a fantasy world with Goblins and Elves， ghosts and ghouls and is just a delight to read。I received a copy through Netgalley， courtesy of the author， for which my thanks。 The above is my own opinion。 。。。more
Susanna
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The Grief of Stones is the third book in The Goblin Emperor， Addison’s wonderfully unique steampunkish world of goblins and elves， and the second in The Cemeteries of Amalo starring Thara Celehar， the Witness for the Dead。 He’s a goblin priest whose job it is to communicate with the recently， and not so recently， departed on behalf of their families or the authorities to find out how they died， or to settle disputes。The book starts soon after the previous ended。 A marquise wants to know if his w The Grief of Stones is the third book in The Goblin Emperor， Addison’s wonderfully unique steampunkish world of goblins and elves， and the second in The Cemeteries of Amalo starring Thara Celehar， the Witness for the Dead。 He’s a goblin priest whose job it is to communicate with the recently， and not so recently， departed on behalf of their families or the authorities to find out how they died， or to settle disputes。The book starts soon after the previous ended。 A marquise wants to know if his wife was murdered and Celehar sets to investigate。 A case follows another and soon he is trying to figure out how to save foundling girls from an unscrupulous person。The cases weren’t complicated， and the overall tone was that of a cosy mystery。 But the latter lead to an encounter that changed Celehar’s life， maybe forever。 The rest of the book deals with the aftermath and the never-ending politics of Amalo。Celehar is not alone with his investigations。 Out of the blue， he’s sent an apprentice， a widow who has had no formal training as a priest but who can also communicate with the dead。 And he has the friends he made in the previous book that he can turn to， and does， despite being much of a loner。The city of Amalo is as huge， strange， and complicated as ever。 I never knew where anything was in relation to other places， but it didn’t really matter， though I would’ve welcomed a map （I don’t know if final versions come with those）。 There are trams and air travel， pneumatic tubes and photographing， but the overall impression is of a highly hierarchical society where traditions matter more than innovations。 And nothing matters more than funeral traditions。This was a sad book， much more so than the previous ones。 Celehar is maybe ready to open a little after the tragedy in his past， but the rigid norms of the society make him afraid of even contemplating friendship， let alone love。 He’s lonely。 The cases of exploited girls were sad， and Celehar’s fate saddest of all， even though the book ends in a hopeful note。The book wasn’t as much about the belief in humanity and decency as the previous ones， but it left me feeling positive in the end。 And the hints about changes for Celehar make me eager to read the next book。I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Bradley
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Like The Goblin Emperor and The Witness for the Dead， the story is full of rich fantasy worldbuilding that serves the purpose of an extended Cozy Mystery。That being said， if you like sedate， rich fantasy that handles the little things and almost entirely the little things -- until it gets to the one big thing -- then this is definitely gonna be your kind of book。This one doesn't disappoint。 Indeed， I may have really enjoyed the small stuff better than the one big mystery。 That one was rather rou Like The Goblin Emperor and The Witness for the Dead， the story is full of rich fantasy worldbuilding that serves the purpose of an extended Cozy Mystery。That being said， if you like sedate， rich fantasy that handles the little things and almost entirely the little things -- until it gets to the one big thing -- then this is definitely gonna be your kind of book。This one doesn't disappoint。 Indeed， I may have really enjoyed the small stuff better than the one big mystery。 That one was rather rough， emotionally， and seeing justice be done was rather pressing for me。 I get it。 Having this bit of realism， no matter how horrible， is necessary for these kinds of books， but it does take away from the reality of escapism。 My initial reaction was。。。 "oh hell no， no， no， I read these kinds of books to escape the horrors of reality， not realize that there is no escape。。。 anywhere。"But then I remembered the kind of racism and nastiness that was inherent in the first book and I knew it was all of a similar vein。 My only complaint is that I felt a certain lack of urgency and conflict， aside from the big one， but this IS still a Cozy Mystery。 。。。more
Poonam
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Celehar is has become more settled in his life as a Witness for the dead in the city of Amalo， with even an apprentice to train。 However， in his investigations， a mysterious message and a dead foundling girl leads him into a mire of politics and treachery， threatening the life he's built。 As usual， Addison pulls the reader into a Celehar's world， honoring the dead with integrity。 At times， this reads like a medieval Sherlock Holmes story with little mysteries woven with the larger story and flow Celehar is has become more settled in his life as a Witness for the dead in the city of Amalo， with even an apprentice to train。 However， in his investigations， a mysterious message and a dead foundling girl leads him into a mire of politics and treachery， threatening the life he's built。 As usual， Addison pulls the reader into a Celehar's world， honoring the dead with integrity。 At times， this reads like a medieval Sherlock Holmes story with little mysteries woven with the larger story and flowery language。 But it's filled with such care for Celehar and how he interacts with the world and how his friends cherish him in a way that he cannot。 I liked the new dimension of the apprentice and how Celehar interacts with her。 The mystery is a good one， and the story ends on a bittersweet note and I look forward to the next installment。 Definitely recommend。 Thank to Netgalley and Tor Books for the advanced audiobook of this novella。 And audiobook narration fits the story very well and I enjoyed it。 。。。more
Scott
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Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an audio copy of The Grief of Stones for review purposes。The Grief of Stones continues the adventures of Thara Celehar， Speaker for the Dead。 Part cleric and part detective， Celehar uses his ability to connect with the recently dead to help people and solve mysteries ranging from trivial to deadly significance。 I enjoy the often non-linear quality of Katherine Addison’s storytelling which provides both slice of life and mystery elements wh Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an audio copy of The Grief of Stones for review purposes。The Grief of Stones continues the adventures of Thara Celehar， Speaker for the Dead。 Part cleric and part detective， Celehar uses his ability to connect with the recently dead to help people and solve mysteries ranging from trivial to deadly significance。 I enjoy the often non-linear quality of Katherine Addison’s storytelling which provides both slice of life and mystery elements while keeping the reader engaged throughout。 Liam Gerrard’s narration of the audiobook has really grown on me and is well paired to the world and Celehar in particular。 His depiction of Celehar is mostly reserved， occasionally grumpy， but fully endearing as we follow Celehar as he finds large and small ways to help those that cross his path。 Overall， I really enjoy the mix of mystery and fantasy elements in the series and hope to see many more of Celehar’s adventures。Full review and discussion on episode #156 of Narrated podcast scheduled for 14 Jun 2022。 https://narratedpodcast。com/156 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Grief of Stones
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Grief of Stones&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Grief of Stones&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0